The Real Drogba Outperforming so called 'Next Drogba' – Stats

Didier Drogba recently revealed that this season will not be his last and he has no plans to hang up his boots just yet. At 37, some may question what else Drogba has to offer. The Ivorian has primarily been used as a third choice striker at Chelsea, having to make do with the occasional late cameo in the Premier League this season.

Has Drogba warranted a year extension at Chelsea? After all there’s only so much that should be expected from a third choice striker.

Opta-powered Oulala decided to pit the 37-year-old against the striker that left Chelsea last summer, Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian argued by many as Drogba’s ideal replacement before Spaniard Diego Costa was drafted in.

With sixteen years between the pair and an unbalanced amount of playing time the analysis was made on a per minute basis in the Premier League this season to judge whether the Ivorian could match up to the youngster lauded as ‘The next Drogba’. The stats show that Drogba in-fact leads Lukaku in a number of key areas this season.

The Chelsea forward has played less than a quarter of the minutes that Lukaku has completed this term and when braking down goals scored per minute it is the Ivorian that comes out on top.

With 3 goals, Drogba has netted every 191 minutes. In comparison Lukaku has taken 300 minutes to scored each of his 8 goals. The 37-year-old also narrowly edges minutes per assist. With a single assist this season it has taken Drogba all 572 of his minutes played. Lukaku’s total of 4 assists work out as 599 minutes per assist.

The Belgian however leads for shot accuracy this season, enjoying an impressive 56% compared to 35% from the Chelsea striker.

Drogba edges creativity completing more key passes per 90 minutes (1.73 to 0.90).

Physically, it’s Drogba that excels again. With more aerial duels won (46.5% to 35.4%) and more total duels won (48.6% to 40.8%) the Ivorian is still proving to be as powerful as ever.

With Drogba on the verge of collecting his fourth Premier League winners medal next month is it possible that he’ll be on the verge of five this time next season?

Follow FFStrategist on Twitter